


Found at the Water's Edge

by artisticallyCrafty



Category: Original Work
Genre: Bigotry & Prejudice, Drabble, F/M, Folklore, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Gossip, Hotheadedness, Latino Character, M/M, Magic, Mermaids, Multi, Passive-aggression, People are Dicks, Scary People When Angry, Sticking Up for friends, bias, nonbinary characters - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-26
Updated: 2019-09-04
Packaged: 2020-09-27 08:50:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20404984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/artisticallyCrafty/pseuds/artisticallyCrafty
Summary: Nature gives and Nature takes. In this case, Nature pulls together three individuals from two different worlds and deposits them into a culture that does not approve.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, it's been a while since I wrote anything.  
Please enjoy my rambles about my OCs. These drabbles were written in my free time at work and edited to the best of my ability. Little bit of the story pulls from the Island Living pack from the Sims.

The ocean is quiet in the early morning. These are the mornings that Taylor loves. The sun just beginning to peak over the horizon, painting the ocean in warm tones, nature just beginning to wake up and greet the day. Inhaling deeply, Taylor digs his toes into the sand at the very edge of the surf. He slowly brings his hands up from his sides to over his head in the salutation of his people, thanking the sun for rising and bringing life to the day. As he finishes with a slow exhale, the quiet calm of the morning is broken by a water balloon nailing him in the head.

Flipping his now wet hair out of his face, Taylor spins to face the assailant. Seeing the familiar head of hair that is his cousin’s attempt to find cover in the low foliage the dots the edge of the forest, Taylor takes off running, spewing curses at his older cousin for interrupting his morning, shouting about how nature’s wrath will be brought down upon his cousin’s head, and that he would understand if he would join Taylor. Unbeknownst to the two children, a pair of eyes watch them from behind a rock just off the edge of the reef.

Roan was fascinated by the creatures on the land. The strange way they moved, the strange ritual performed by the one, the strange projectile that was launched and had struck true, everything was strange and intriguing. Roan was so engrossed in watching the chase on land that they failed to notice when another mer had breached and was approaching them, until a voice said, “The humans are rather interesting, aren’t they, Roan?”

Not expecting anyone to find them snooping like this, Roan splutters, letting go of the rock that they had been holding to hide behind and falling under the surf. Resurfacing, Roan turns to face the mer that snuck up on them. Laguna giggles, her pink lips stretching to reveal sharp white fangs, mirth visible in her pale milky eyes. Roan growls out, “Was it really necessary to sneak up on me?”, splashing water in Laguna’s direction.

“But of course! You were so entranced by the humans that I just couldn’t resist.” Laguna grabs the rock that Roan had been holding, and peaks around it. “Which one were you watching, guppy?”

“I’m not a guppy; you are barely a season older than me, Laguna.” Roan grumbles out as they grab the rock again and peak out to observe the creatures Laguna called humans. The one they were watching has caught the one that threw the projectile at them and is currently wrestling them in the sand, shouting curses and demanding an apology. For being smaller than the other one, they possess a great amount of strength. “I was watching the one that is on top of the other. They were doing some sort of ritual this morning and I wanted to observe what it was for. The one that is underneath threw a projectile at the other and soaked them in water.”

“Was there a sound like this right as the human was soaked?” Laguna asks before popping her lips.

“Yes! Just like that, and it happened right as the human had brought their hands down from above their head, so I don’t know if their ritual is complete or not,” Roan says, already plotting in their mind how they can get Laguna to tell them more about the humans.

“Ah, I see what happened. So those two are cousins, their parents are siblings. The one you were watching is Taylor and the other one is Ronnie. The thing that was thrown at Taylor is called a water balloon. It’s a sack that holds water and can be thrown for fun or for pranks. If it hits something hard enough, the water balloon will burst and soak whatever it hit in water. Taylor, I suspect, was performing a greeting ritual of the people that live on this island. They come out to the beach before the sun rises and perform a salutation as the sun rises on the horizon, thanking it for bringing in the day. There aren’t many people who perform this ritual, but Taylor is one. I suspect Ronnie threw the water balloon at Taylor as a prank or to tease Taylor, as children are want to do. But Taylor is a child of the island, so by performing the rituals of his people, he’s granted advantages that his cousin does not have. Hence why such a small child is able to catch and pin down his bigger and I suspect, older cousin.”

Roan’s eye are as wide as sand dollars as Laguna talks. Tentatively, they ask, “How do you know so much about humans, Laguna? And can you please teach me?”

Laguna tosses her pink hair back, her head tilting back in a laugh. ”Oh guppy, I collect things that come from the humans, trinkets and treasures of all sorts. I also have the ability to become like the humans and learn from them, among them. Once you’re older, I teach you how to become like them, but for now, I’ll teach you everything I know."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wheeeee, second chapter! There starts to be some of Taylor's second language added in, so translations will be in the end notes. Native Spanish speakers, please forgive me. I took Spanish in high school, so I remember some Spanish, but this is all through Google Translate. Please forgive any terrible Spanish grammar.
> 
> (psst, if anyone wants to help me with said grammar, please send me a message or leave a comment)

Taylor is about 14 when they find the hidden little cove near the beach where they greet the sun every morning, or at least, every morning that it isn’t raining. Ever since that morning that Ronnie distracted Taylor from their salutations, Taylor has felt eyes watching them from the ocean. They don’t know if its nature watching them or if there someone is stalking them. Taylor has just started to express themselves, dressing in a punk/rebel fashion, dyeing their hair a bright red, identifying away from the binary. Their grandparents were convinced it was just a phase, but at least their parents accepted them. Nature, it seemed, was not concerned with Taylor’s identity, so long as they continued to honor nature as they always had. But there were the rest of the townspeople who just seemed _so_ concerned with Taylor’s behavior. Taylor kicked a rock as that thought crossed their mind. _Bah! What did the people of the town care?_ Taylor was their own person, and the only one who should be concerned with what Taylor did with their body and style should be Taylor. And if anyone had anything to say about it, they could kiss Taylor’s a—_SMACK!!_

“Ow! What the fuck!?” Taylor shouted as they gripped their head, looking for what had hit them. Down at their feet was a rock, the same rock that they had absentmindedly kicked out of their way in their musings. Crouching down, Taylor picked up the rock to examine it, surprised to find it wet, even more surprised to find a wet hand print. Taylor must have kicked it into the water, which made sense since they did register hearing a splash, but they couldn’t figure out who or what had thrown the rock back at them. As far as Taylor knew, no one else knew about this cove. It was hidden away and difficult to get to and Taylor wasn’t sure if it was even visible from the ocean. Heart suddenly pounding in their chest, Taylor gripped the rock tight and approached the water.

“Hello? Who threw this rock at me? I’m sorry if I hit you with it on accident. I was lost in my thoughts and just kicked it absentmindedly.” Taylor peered into the water, finding that in the low light of the cove, they couldn’t see what was in the water. Taylor waited a few minutes with bated breath, hoping and apprehensive for an answer. When nothing happened, Taylor sighed, muttering to themselves, “You’ve gone crazy, Taylor, just completely coconuts,” before standing and gently lobbing the rock back into the water. “I’m gonna leave now. If you want me to stay and talk to me, please throw the rock again, but please don’t hit me, that really hurt the last time.”

Turning, Taylor started to make their way back to the entrance of the cove that lead to the beach. As they approached the small opening that they had shimmied through, they heard a sharp _CLACK!_ and looked behind them, finding the rock again. They turned towards the water and were shocked to see two heads appearing out of the water. One head had long pinkish-red hair and pale green skin, with fins in place where ears should be. The face looked feminine with big pale eyes, full pink lips and a delicate nose? Nose slits? Taylor wasn’t sure how to describe what they saw. The other head short black hair with red tips, the skin a desaturated pinkish-grey, the fins on the side of the face comprised of spines and webbing. The face on this head looked masculine with its sharp cheekbones, thin lips and angular eyebrows, but the eyes looked feminine with how delicate the curvature was and the red eye shadow that was present.

“_¡Madre de Dios, espíritus de agua malvada!_” Taylor exclaims, tripping and falling on the slippery stones, scrambling to get away from the creatures in the water. The feminine head raises her arms and hands quickly, holding them out in front of her in an attempt to calm Taylor down, saying “Hey, wait, wait, wait, calm down, we’re not going to hurt you! Roan wanted to apologize for hitting you with the rock before, and you offered to talk to us.” Her voice has a soft and watery melodic tone to it, like it could easily draw humans into the water.

“Yeah, I’m sorry human, I didn’t mean to hit you in the head, my aim was off. I was trying to throw the rock just ahead of you so you’d stop.” The other head’s voice is rough, yet has the same watery melodic tone. Cautiously and against their better judgement, Taylor slowly creeps closer to the water’s edge, intrigued and terrified of these creatures at the same time.

“Who are you? _What_ are you? How are you speaking to me? Have I finally gone crazy?” Questions spill out of Taylor’s mouth, quickly and without reason, as Taylor tries to come to terms with the situation they find themselves in.

“Whoa, whoa, slow down, one question at a time, Taylor. We promise we’ll explain everything.” The feminine head says, coming closer to the edge, looking like she’s either about to pull herself out or pull Taylor in and drown them. “First things first, I think introductions are in order. My name is Laguna. I am a mermaid that lives deep in this ocean. I can speak to you because I have learned your language from listening to others, and no, you haven’t gone crazy. Your turn, guppy,” Laguna says as she elbows the other head.

“How many times do I have to tell you!? I! AM! NOT! A! GUPPY!” The other head launches at Laguna, dragging her under and Taylor can see spines and webbing on this mermaid’s arms that are similar to the ones on the head, and a powerful tail of red scales. The fin at the end of the tail is strangely translucent, distorting what is seen through it in a reddish-pink tint. Not that Taylor gets to see much, as they get soaked from the splash produced by the tail and have to get their now wet hair out of their face.

“Was that really necessary?” They ask sarcastically, wringing as much water out of their hair as possible. The mer that splashed them has resurfaced; their face significantly redder than it was before they dove and dragged Laguna under. Speaking of Laguna, she slaps the other mer across the back of the head as she resurfaces, dunking the mer’s face into the water a little. Sharply, she says to the other, “Apologize. Now.”

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to soak you. I just don’t like it when she calls me a guppy. Laguna is barely a season older than me. I’m Roan, by the way. It’s nice to finally meet you, Taylor,” the other mer says, looking bashful, if mers can even look bashful.

Realization dawns on Taylor as they hear this. “Wait a minute, you two are the eyes I’ve felt when I’ve been down on the beach in the morning, aren’t you? Why have you been watching me? What do you want from me?” They ask, suddenly suspicious.

Laguna speaks up and says, “It’s not what you think, Taylor! Yes, we have been watching you, but only to observe you as part of our observations of humans. I’ve been teaching Roan everything I know and we’ve been learning more along the way. We’ve mainly been watching you because you are connected to nature and the world in a way that no other human is. We feel safe around you and have a sense of safety wash over us whenever you come to the beach. I especially wanted to know why, and Roan here wan—“ Laguna is cut off when Roan dunks her underwater, face aflame in a deep red. This interaction confuses Taylor, but years later, they will think back and smile at how hard Roan had tried to hide their attraction. In this moment though, these three are all just teenagers, or teenagers-equivalent. And teenagers are dumb and dealing with raging hormones.

Chuckling a little at the antics of their new friends, Taylor is suddenly curious enough to want to know more. Gingerly, they ask, “Can you show me and teach me about mermaids? You’ve been learning about humans, I want to learn about mermaids.”

“Alright, you deserve to know, Taylor. But just know that every mermaid is different, and what applies to us may not apply to others.” Laguna tells them as a warning. “The first thing I think you deserve to see is our other forms. This is what we look like when we are learning amongst other humans. You might want to move back if you don’t want to get soaked again.”

With that warning, Taylor moves back from the water’s edge, giving Laguna and Roan enough space to lift themselves from the water and settle on the rocky ground. Laguna looks at Taylor and continues, “I have the ability to shift my tail in and out of existence, whereas Roan always needs a little help. You’ll see what I mean in a minute.” Laguna then goes quiet for a moment before her tail begins to shrink to the size of legs, scales retreating and fin forming into feet. There’s a faint shimmer that appears over all of Laguna for but a moment before it dissipates, leaving a girl sitting in the same place Laguna was.

Her hair is no longer a vibrant pink, instead it is a deep red. Her light green skin and pale, fathomless eyes are replaced with a light tan, just a shade lighter than Taylor’s own skin, and bright aqua eyes, like staring into the ocean. Ear fins have shrunk into perfectly normal ears. Laguna’s sharp shark-like teeth have also dulled, replaced with pearly white teeth that would make anyone jealous. She stands, legs a little shaky and Taylor rushes forward to help her, but Laguna waves them off, saying, “I’m fine. Always a little shaky at first, give me a minute to get blood flow to my legs.”

Taylor backs off, amazed at what they just saw. It takes Laguna a minute, but after a moment passes, she is steady on her legs and feet. She then moves over to Roan and holds out her hands. “Your turn to stretch your legs.”

Roan reaches up and grabs ahold of Laguna’s outstretched hands, and together they stand Roan upright, or at least, as upright as the two mers can get Roan. Once Roan is upright, their tail splits right down the middle before cracking and peeling off like a snakeskin, leaving two shapely legs, defined and athletic. As the rest of the tail is shed, color comes back to Roan’s skin, as if blood flow to the tail has returned to the skin, the desaturated red turning into a bronzy skin tone, similar to that of freshly ground coffee beans. Roan’s ear fins collapse and seem to retract into the skin, replaced with human ears and their arm fins collapse against their arms before seeming to absorb into the skin. Their eyes maintain their shape, if only becoming a little more human like in shaping, and their irises turn from a bright red to a ruddy brown, looking red in the right lighting, Taylor supposes. The pupils dilate from slits into round circles, much like a cat’s would, but they are human pupils.

Once the transformation is complete, Roan shakes their head, blinking rapidly. “Ugh,” they groan, “I will never get used to feeling my eyes change.” Still holding Laguna’s hands, Roan then shakes out their legs, like they are numb from falling asleep and they are trying to get blood flow through their legs. Taylor simply stands there in awe, amazed at what they had just witnessed. Laguna notices them staring and giggles, saying “You’re going to have fish jumping into your mouth if you keep it open like that.”

Taylor snaps their jaw shut, unaware that it had been hanging open, face hot with embarrassment. Clearing their throat, they ask the two mers, “So this is what you two look like when you’re among the other humans? I can see how you two would fit in during tourist season, but how do you not raise suspicion when it’s off season?”

“I have an … ability, which lets me, err, modify people’s perception and memory, I guess you could say. It has proven to be very useful once we started blending in when it was, as you said, off season. Humans don’t really pay attention to their surroundings when strangers are around in greater numbers,” Roan answers, though it is clear to Taylor that there is more to that answer than they were given. Deciding that it might just be a matter of trust, Taylor’s eyes light up with an idea.

“How would you two like an islander’s perspective on life here? I’ll take you to the best spots that the tourists don’t know about and help answer whatever questions you two have. You said you feel safe with me, so let’s take advantage of that and give you the best experience ever. You two deserve it after explaining everything to me, so it’s my treat. What do you say?” They hold out their hands for each mer to shake in agreement and wait with bated breath.

The two mers look at each other and almost seem to have a conversation with just their eyes before turning back to Taylor and giving their respective hands a firm shake in agreement and acknowledgement. Taylor beams and leads them out of the cove, wrapping their arms around the two mers shoulders as they walk along the beach towards the town, saying “I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
¡Madre de Dios, espíritus de agua malvada!= Oh my God, evil water spirits!
> 
> Don't forget to leave a kudo and comment!


	3. Chapter 3

Taylor has just turned 20 when they purchase the small beach house. The property is small, only approximately 750 sq. ft., but it is more than big enough for one human and two mers. Both Roan and Laguna had been extremely helpful in making enough money to help afford the house, what with their ability to go searching sunken wrecks for rare treasure and precious gems that they could sell to both gift shops and pawn shops and to tourists. Taylor has been doing odd jobs ever since he was 16, saving the money they’ve earned from the jobs and all the money he’s received from birthdays and holidays, just so they could buy a place where his two best friends could live and be safe when the waters were dangerous.

There was gossip about the trio, whispers and words spoken behind closed doors, how the unruly and wayward rebel had befriended two complete strangers and had somehow integrated these strangers into how life ran in the town. Taylor had been ignoring the gossip of the old biddies for years, being unapologetically Taylor. Offering to help the elderly with groceries or crossing streets when they saw them struggling, be polite and a perfect gentleman despite the way they dressed and his tattoos. Taylor was determined to change the minds of the town one individual at a time.

Laguna and Roan, however, always jumped to Taylor’s defense when they were out and about and overheard gossip and the things said about their friend. Roan, being the more hotheaded of the two, would go and approach those who spoke ill of Taylor and make not-so-subtle threats if the gossip didn’t stop until either Laguna or Taylor came to drag them off, always apologizing profusely for their friend. Laguna was usually more subtle in her confrontations. 

If she happened to overhear ill words, she would use her innate magic to passive-aggressively torment the people who gossiped. She would even go as far as refusing service to these people. When these folks complained, Laguna would smile, her magic showing her real teeth and eyes, and offer the offenders a large conch shell to listen to. Time would freeze and Laguna would inform the offenders that they should listen to the words that leave their mouths, and to fear the wrath and torment of the sea if they continued to offend a child of the ocean with their words. As the people were superstitious people, they usually complied and lifted the shell to their ears, hearing the terrible words that they had uttered about Taylor, the world going dark and Laguna’s face being the only thing visible due to her natural bioluminescence. And then in an instance, everything would be back to normal and Laguna would ask if they would like to purchase the conch shell. More often than not, the folks that had just witnessed Laguna’s real face would buy the shell, and then race home and pray for forgiveness from the sea and from nature.

Taylor was not always happy when they found out what Laguna and Roan had done, but secretly he would smile and be happy that their friends were standing up for him. Too many years had they gone through this fight alone; now he had two people in their corner, fighting right alongside him. And now they all lived together, as one found family. Just thinking that thought would always fill Taylor’s heart with warm fuzzy feelings, and they would sleep soundly through the night, a smile upon his face.

_ I want these two in my life for as long as I can have them. They make me happier and a better person. I have a feeling that if I had never met them, all the gossip would have gotten to me and I would have become exactly what these people think of me. God, I love those two and I am so fucking glad I met them. . . . Wait, love? _

**Author's Note:**

> Don't forget to leave a comment!


End file.
